I had only been to Texas once before- and it was for a high school trip to San Antonio. Needless to say, I was excited to get back and see Texas again. My friend Emma went with me and we decided it was best to work remotely throughout the week (save that PTO!) and see Austin on the weekends and after we finished working on the weekdays. Austin actually ended up reminding me a lot of Minneapolis. Unique (keep Austin weird) neighborhoods spot the city, there are so many beautiful outdoor spaces, and the whole city has a really creative energy. It’s also an emerging tech hub, so there is a ton of growth happening- both downtown and in the surrounding neighborhoods and cities.

What to Eat and Drink:

One of my favorite parts of travel. If you follow me on Instagram you know that I love trying new restaurants- both at home and wherever I go. You learn so much about a place and it’s people through their food- one of the reasons I loved watching No Reservations so much. My friend Emma is a vegetarian, so while we didn’t get to experience the meatier side of Texas (next time!), our trip was filled with amazing food.

Hank’s

Our flight landed around 10am in Austin and since our Airbnb check-in wasn’t until 1, we decided to go get brunch at Hank’s. It was on the other side our town, so we figured this would be a good chance to check it out. They have a massive patio- complete with big fans as well- and we waited inside at the bar until a table was ready. We ordered the brioche donut holes (with chai ice cream) while we waited at the bar and split the avocado toast and lemon ricotta pancakes. Portions were generous and prices were reasonable.

Sunlife Organics

We stopped into SunLife Organics on South Congress because I was dehydrated and needed some energy. I don’t remember the smoothie that I got, but it was delicious and just what I needed. The heat in Texas is real, y’all.

Guero’s Taco Bar

An Austin Staple on South Congress since 1995. We sat in the Oak Garden where they have a stage and live music from Wednesday-Sunday. We didn’t realize until we found a table, and waited in line for 20 minutes, that the full menu wasn’t available there and they didn’t have any vegetarian tacos. The pork taco that I had was delicious though- sorry, Emma!

Churro Co

I actually found Churro Co. through Instagram and I’m so glad that I did. They serve up churros made from scratch daily out of a trailer on First- another main street with lots of great restaurants. At the recommendation of one of the owners, I ordered the Texas Comfort; churros topped with homemade apple pie filling, salted caramel, and whipped cream. Needless to say, they did not disappoint.

GourDough’s Doughnuts

Can you tell that we both have a sweet tooth? Apparently, Texans aren’t early risers as a lot of our restaurant choices didn’t open until 10 0r 11. So, we walked over to First again to grab a donut from Gourdough’s Original Food Trailer. There’s also a major obsession with converted Airstreams in Austin. They’re cute and I would love one, but it’s just funny seeing them on every corner. Back to donuts. We both ordered the Nutty Valentine- a crisp donut (different, but delicious) with Nutella, fresh strawberries, and cinnamon sugar. Emma also loved their cold brew.

El Alma

After our morning donut, we walked a couple of miles in pouring rain to El Alma. As usual, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, so we both kept it smaller at our second breakfast stop of the day and got two breakfast tacos each. They also have a rooftop patio with views of downtown but, as previously mentioned, pouring rain.

Mañana

The cutest coffee shop in the South Congress Hotel. This place was a daily stop for us and their matcha was one of our favorites. They also have a great assortment of baked goods, grab-and-go snacks, and paletas that I really regret not trying. The coffee shop itself has pretty limited seating, which wasn’t open when we were there because of COVID, but opens up onto the main courtyard of the hotel with shaded tables and seating.

Joann’s Fine food

Attached to the Austin Motel, where we paid for a pool pass, Joann’s Fine Food features tex-mex favorites alongside healthier, California-inspired fare. We ordered pick-up and were able to bring the food back to eat poolside. I got the fajita plate without looking at the price. It was delicious and a massive portion, but more than I was meaning to spend for a casual dinner. The restaurant itself had a really fun, retro atmosphere (and huge patio) and I would have liked to eat there as well.

Torchy’s

An Austin staple that I was told by everyone I talked to is a must. Torchy’s now has 90 locations across the southern US and multiple across Austin. The one on South Congress was just blocks from our Airbnb. I tried the Trailer Park taco and it was damn good.

June’s All Day Cafe

If you couldn't already tell, most of our Austin experiences were within a mile or two of our Airbnb. It was so nice to be able to walk everywhere and we wanted to take advantage of the nice weather. June’s is another restaurant located on South Congress and serves up New American food with a French flare. We got the niçoise salad, pomme frite, wine, and finished with the Nutella pot de creme. We weren't able to make reservations but got in after a 20-minute wait on a weeknight.

Elizabeth Street Cafe

We walked by Elizabeth Street Cafe, on South First Street, on our first night and decided it had to be on our list. It’s Vietnamese French fusion and has the cutest garden/patio area and beautiful indoor dinning rooms. Minneapolis people, it reminds me of a combination of Hai Hai and Grand Cafe (RIP). The cocktails alone are worth calling out. I got the Hoi An Summer- a refreshing combination of tequila, aperol, watermelon, lime, and mint- and Emma got the Hibiscus Paloma- a mezcal-based Paloma with hibiscus, jalapeño, and orange. Our waitress recommended the bun bowls, so we each got one. They were massive and we took the leftovers home for lunch the next day. We split an order of beignets for dessert. It came with your choice of jam and we chose the raspberry lychee. It was more raspberry than lychee, but delicious none the less.

The Edge Rooftop at JW Marriott

We went kayaking after work on Friday and my cousin wanted to take us to a rooftop downtown. We ended up at The Edge at the JW Marriott. The views of downtown and the capitol were breathtaking, the lounge seating was just what we needed after kayaking, and the drinks and food were refreshing.

Oasis Brewery

On our second to last night we ventured out into hill country and went to The Oasis on Lake Travis. The Oasis is a MASSIVE (we’re in Texas here, people) outdoor dining and shopping complex overlooking Lake Travis about 40 minutes outside of downtown Austin. Again, we didn't have a reservation but we were able to get into Oasis Brewery immediately. I had a cider, not a beer lover, and it was great! We also split some apps and I had the fish tacos. The views were great and we were able to watch the sunset over Lake Travis.

Honorable Mentions:

We didn’t make it to these places but will try to next time!

Rainey Street

Bar Peached

Food Truck Park

Lola’s Donuts

Taquero Mucho

Revival Coffee

Aba

What to Do:

To be honest, we didn’t have a ton of free time after work during the week, so most of our time was spent eating. We did have a couple of days on the weekend though and here’s what we did!

Kayak on Lady bird lake

We rented kayaks from the Texas Rowing Center. There was plenty of free street parking around the center and rentals are available from 6am to dusk, every day. Single kayaks are $15/hour and SUPs are $20/hr. We started by going upstream and crossed paths with an 8-foot water moccasin (no thank you!) and turned around and went south were there were big groups of people just floating and chilling. It was such a fun vibe. There is hardly in current in the river, so groups would just float together and had carryout food or coolers and would just lounge. We kayaked up Barton Creek and the water was so clear and there were so many turtles- it was a beautiful oasis right in the city.

Enjoy nature

Like Minneapolis, Austin has so much green space! Our first day we walked up South Congress to the river, the bridge there is known for the largest urban bat colony in the US, and down the trail. There were great views of the city and it was nice to be in the shade of the trees.

We didn’t make it to the Zilker Park and Botanical Gardens, but it’s definitely on my list for the next time I’m in Austin. Next to the Botanical Gardens is Barton Springs Pool- another thing on our list we just didn't have time (and the weather didn’t allow) for. The pool is filled with water from nearby underground springs and is three acres in size. It’s surrounded by shaded, grassy areas- perfect for a couple of hours of swimming and lounging.

Shop

Hey, you didn’t expect me to go to a new city and not shop a little, right? There were so many cute shops on South Congress and I may have discovered my new favorite designer consignment store.

South Congress Favorites:

Allen’s Boots
- An Austin staple with over 4,000 boots on display. If you want a pair of boots, this is the place to come!
Maufrais
- If you want a hat, and amazing experience, this is the place for you! Maufrais is a beautiful hat store where you choose your base hat and then have it custom shaped, right in front of you! You can choose bands and accessories as well. Definitely one of the coolest souvenirs you could get.
Cove Boutique
- A locally owned boutique that has the cutest selection of swim suits, summery dresses, and trendy accessories. The staff was super sweet and it was a beautiful space!
Neighborhood Goods
- A new “department store” with a few locations around the US. They stock a revolving brand assortment and feature exciting, new brands. They also have a bar and work area inside that we debated working from. The only reason we didn't was the South Congress Hotel was closer to our Airbnb.

Vintage/Consignment

Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds
- An overwhelming, amazing selection of vintage and costume pieces for sale and rent. Honestly, just walk in to see it all. The array of color and pattern and sheer amount of stuff there is dizzying. But amazing. It’s also on South Congress, so just stop in.
Bloomers and Frocks
- I wasn’t able to make it here, but looks like a beautiful curated selection of vintage pieces.
Moss Designer Consignment
- My new favorite!? It’s one of the biggest and most organized designer consignment stores I’ve been to. The selection was amazing, everything was in near-perfect condition, and each item had two price decreases based on the by-date. I scored a pair of Prada sneakers in mint-condition for $140. They weren’t set to have their final price decrease until the next day, but they honored it for me.
Pavement
- A block away from Moss. Again, I wasn’t able to make it in but the reviews are great and if you go to Moss, stop by for me!

Where to Stay:

We stayed at a studio Airbnb for the first four nights and with my cousin and her fiancé the last four. While it was a little tricky working remotely for two days in such a small space, the location was great for us! It was 3 blocks off of South Congress (a main street with lots of restaurants and shopping) and really affordable compared to the hotels in the area. The neighborhood was also great to walk around and there was a nice park/trail a couple blocks east of the house.

Our first day in the Airbnb we decided to work from the trendy South Congress Hotel. It’s located on South Congress so is really central to most of the restaurants we went to. The lobby is open to the public to work from and there are three restaurants, two coffee shops, and one bar on the hotel property. They also have a private rooftop pool that looks so inviting. When my mom and I go to Austin this is where we plan on staying!

We got a pool pass for the Austin Motel and fell in love with the quirky, retro, and total-Austin vibes of the motel. It’s also located on South Congress, can you tell we loved the neighborhood, and has beautifully remodeled rooms bursting with character.